History

In its 2011 Western Athletic Conference opener, Utah State (2-3, 0-0 WAC) will head to Fresno, Calif. to take on Fresno State (2-4, 1-0 WAC) on Saturday, Oct. 15... Kickoff is slated for 8 p.m. (MT) from Fresno State's Bulldog Stadium.

QUICKLY -- In its 2011 Western Athletic Conference opener, Utah State (2-3, 0-0 WAC) will head to Fresno, Calif. to take on Fresno State (2-4, 1-0 WAC) on Saturday, Oct. 15... Kickoff is slated for 8 p.m. (MT) from Fresno State's Bulldog Stadium (41,031)... The battle between the Aggies and Bulldogs will be streamed on ESPN3.com, with the Trey and Jay show calling the action, as Trey Bender will handle play-by-play duties with Jay Taylor providing analysis. The game will NOT be on ESPN Gameplan as earlier announced.

SATURDAY'S STORYLINES -- Things to watch for in Saturday's battle between the Aggies and Bulldogs:

* USU is seeking its first win in Fresno since 1980, halting a five-game losing skein there.
* The Aggies are trying to snap a four-game losing skid to the Bulldogs.
* Both head coaches involved in Saturday's game played and coached under former Utah and current Weber State head coach Ron McBride, as USU head coach Gary Andersen and Fresno State head coach Pat Hill have strong ties to former Utah and current Weber State head coach McBride, as Andersen played under McBride at Utah in 1985-86 when Andersen was a center and McBride was offensive line coach for the Utes, Andersen also served as an assistant under McBride from 1997-2002... Fresno State head coach Pat Hill played under McBride at UC Riverside, when McBride was an assistant coach, and McBride helped steer Hill into a football coaching career.
* Two top 20 rushing leaders in FBS will be on the field Saturday, as USU junior RB Robert Turbin is No. 10 at 119.8 ypg while FS junior RB Robbie Rouse is No. 18 at 112.0 ypg.
* The Aggies are 1-5 in WAC openers and are 11-9 overall in their last 20 conference openers.
* Utah State is the last WAC team to play a conference game and the Aggies are only one of six teams in Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) yet to play a conference game, ironically four of the others face off Saturday, as Wyoming meets UNLV in both teams' Mountain West Conference openers, while Cincinnati and Louisville square off in each others' Big East openers.
* Aggie junior RB Robert Turbin needs:
-- Four points for the No. 3 spot on USU's Career Points list and six points for the No. 2 spot, as Turbin enters Saturday with 242 career points, as the No. 3 spot is currently held by Abu Wilson (1992, 94-96) with 246 points while Tom Larscheid (1959-61) holds the No. 2 spot with 248 points.

FOLLOWING THE GAME AND THE AGGIES

ON TV -- Saturday's battle between the Aggies and Bulldogs will be streamed on ESPN3.com, with the Trey and Jay show calling the action, as Trey Bender will handle play-by-play duties with Jay Taylor providing analysis... The game will also be available through the ESPN GamePlan.

ON THE AIR -- All Utah State football games are carried live on the Aggie Sports Network: KVNU 610 AM, KVNU 102.1 FM (Cache Valley) and KLZX 95.9 FM in Logan; KZNS (97.5 FM only) in Salt Lake City; on KLZX 105.3 FM in Montpelier, Idaho... All Aggie football games are also on the Internet at www.UtahStateAggies.com by clicking on "Listen Live"... Legendary radio voice Al "Elevator Music Is Awesome" Lewis will handle the play-by-play duties, while former Aggie SID Craig "I Love Chili Even When It's Not Chilly" Hislop provides analysis (for the listeners, not Al).

ON THE INTERNET -- USU home football games are also streamed on the Internet through "Aggies All Access," by clicking on the "Live Aggies Video" link on the home page of www.UtahStateAggies.com... Fans can register and purchase month or season packages to watch.

GAMETRACKER -- Fans can follow all USU Aggie home games through the USU web site at www.UtahStateAggies.com via GameTracker, a free service, which updates play-by-play and statistics throughout the game... Saturday's game will also be available through GameTracker.

COACHES SHOW ON THE ROAD -- The Gary Andersen radio show will rotate between The Copper Mill and Elements Restaurant on Thursday nights (6:05-7 p.m. on 610 AM KVNU) when the Aggies play on Saturday, with some exceptions, including the BYU and Hawai'i weeks... The show gives USU fans an opportunity to ask questions and interact with Coach Andersen and players.

Upcoming Coaches Shows: Oct. 13 at Elements / Oct. 20 at Copper Mill

UP NEXT -- USU returns to the friendly confines of Merlin Olsen Field at Romney Stadium to host Louisiana Tech on Saturday, Oct. 22 at 1 p.m. (MT) in USU's first afternoon game of the season.

UTAH STATE NOTE-ABLES

 Only three of USU's 12 games will be played on natural grass this year: at Auburn, at BYU and at New Mexico State.

 Seven of USU's 12 games are at night.

 Senior LB Bobby Wagner is a candidate for the:
Butkus Award - nation's top linebacker
Rotary Lombardi Award - nation's top college lineman
Bronko Nagurski Award - nation's best defensive player
Lowe's Senior CLASS Award - athletes who excel both on and off the field

 Junior RB Robert Turbin is a candidate for the:
Doak Walker Award - honoring the nation's top college running back

 Sophomore OC Tyler Larsen is a candidate for the:
Dave Rimington Trophy - nation's most outstanding center in college football

 Senior WR Eric Moats is a candidate for the:
Allstate American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Good Works Team® - recognizing the selfless contributions to volunteerism and community service made by college football student-athletes across the nation.

ABOUT USU -- Utah State takes a 2-3 overall record into its first conference game of the season, after roping the Cowboys of Wyoming, 63-19, Saturday night... Freshman QB Chuckie Keeton threw for 228 yards and a school-record tying five TDs and junior RB Robert Turbin rushed for 111 yards and added two more scores as Utah State scored the final 42 points... In all, USU scored TD's on its first eight possessions of the game... For Utah State, the 63 points scored are its most since winning at Idaho, 63-17, on Oct. 25, 1997, while its 44-point margin of victory is its largest since defeating New Mexico State at home, 47-2, on Nov. 29, 2008... With the five TD's, Keeton becomes the fourth different Aggie QB to hit the school record, and the sixth time, and the first since Anthony Calvillo threw for five scores against BYU in 1993... Calvillo and Tony Adams had accomplished the feat twice each while Brent Snyder reached it once... Keeton finished the game completing 15-of-20 passes and added 44 rushing yards on four carries, while Turbin posted his fourth-straight 100-yard rushing game to move into sixth-place all-time at Utah State as the junior now has 2,397 career yards... Senior running back Michael Smith added a career-best three touchdowns during the game as he finished with 36 rushing yards on seven carries and two receptions for 68 yards... Smith's three TD's are the most since Turbin had five total scores in the Idaho game in 2009... Wagner led Utah State's defense with 12 tackles as he moved into sixth-place all-time at USU and sixth-place all-time in the Western Athletic Conference with 360 stops... Wagner, who added his third career interception late in the second quarter, has now recorded double-digit tackles 19 times in his career including in each of his last five outings... Wagner's oskie was the first interception of the season for the Aggie defense... Keeton, this week's WAC Offensive Player of the Week, leads the USU offense with 69-of-106 passing for 815 yards with nine TD's, throwing TD's to eight different receivers... Turbin leads the Aggie ground attack with 599 yards (6.4 ypc/119.8 ypg) with 10 TD's, while Smith adds 301 yards (8.4 ypc/60.2 ypg) with three TD's... Junior WR Matt Austin has 13 catches for 170 yards (13.1 ypc/34.0 ypg) with one TD... Wagner anchors the USU defense with 61 tackles (12.2 pg) with the lone INT... Fellow senior LB Kyle Gallagher adds 40 stops (8.0 pg), while senior DE/LB Levi Koskan had 6.5 TFL's, including 3.5 sacks... Junior P Tyler Bennett has a 47.0 ypp average with seven of 50+ and a long of 67 yards, with 10 punts inside the 20... Sophomore PK Josh Thompson is 4-of-4 on FG's with a long of 41, and is 27-of-28 on PAT's.

ABOUT FRESNO STATE -- The Bulldogs are 2-4 overall and 1-0 in WAC play, opening the season with a lose two, win two, lose two pattern, losing their last two games of their current three-game homestand, falling 38-28 to Ole Miss and then 57-7 to No. 5 Boise State last Saturday... Senior WR Devon Wylie scored Fresno State's lone points against Boise State with a 79-yard punt return, earning National Punt Returner of the Week by College Football Performance Awards... Junior RB Robbie Rouse is 18th in the FBS in rushing (112.0 ypg), with four TD's... Sophomore QB Derek Carr is 118-of-195 passing for 1,417 yards with 10 TD's and five INT's... Junior WR Rashad Evans is Carr's top target, with 26 catches for 222 yards (8.5 ypc/37.0 ypg) with two TD's... Junior LB Travis Brown leads the Bulldog defense with 44 total tackles while senior DT Logan Harrell adds 41 stops to go with 10 TFL's and 3.5 sacks... Sophomore CB L.J. Jones has two INT's and six pass break-ups... Junior P Andrew Shapiro has a 39.8 ypp avg with 12 inside the 20... Senior PK Kevin Goessling is 5-of-9 on FG's with a long of 48 yards, and is 19-of-19 on PAT's.

AGGIE FOOTBALL REMAINS HIGHLY RANKED AMONG FBS AND WAC STATISTICAL LEADERS -- Utah State football remains ranked among the country and conference's leaders in this week's Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and Western Athletic Conference (WAC) statistics... The Aggies lead the league in five categories, including rushing offense, which they rank sixth in the nation at 309.6 yards per game. USU also leads the WAC and ranks 16th in the FBS in total offense at 480.4 ypg, as well as leading the conference and ranking 22nd in the country in passing efficiency at 155.77... Utah State also is tops in the league and 11th in the nation in scoring offense, hanging an average of 42.6 points per game on the scoreboard... On special teams, the Aggies lead the conference and rank fourth in the country in net punting at 42.67... Defensively, USU is third in the WAC and 34th in the FBS in rushing defense (115.4 ypg), while also ranking third in the conference and 53rd in the county in pass defense (215.4 ypg), to rank second in the league and 29th in the nation in total defense (330.8 ypg)... The Aggie defense is also second in the league and tied for 29th in the nation in sacks (2.4 pg/12 in five games)... Individually, junior running back Robert Turbin leads the WAC and is third in the FBS in scoring at 14.4 ppg, while leading the league and 10th in the nation in rushing at 119.8 ypg. Turbin also is fifth in the conference and 46th in the county in all-purpose yards (130.4 ypg)... Freshman quarterback Chuckie Keeton is first in the league and 22nd in the nation is passing efficiency (157.05), while ranking seventh in the conference and tied for 77th in the country... Junior RB/KR Kerwynn Williams is third in the league and 19th in the nation in all-purpose yards (156.6 ypg), consisting of ranking second in the WAC and 12th in the FBS in punt returns (16.8 ypr), as well as third in the conference and 36th in the country in kick returns (25.0 ypr)... Defensively, senior LB Bobby Wagner is tops in the WAC and fifth in FBS in tackles at 12.2 per game, while fellow senior LB Kyle Gallagher is 10th in the league and tied for 82nd in the nation (8.0 pg)... Senior DE/LB Levi Koskan is fourth in the conference and tied for 30th in the country in sacks with .7 pg, while also ranking fourth in the league and tied for 37th in the country in tackles for loss (1.3 pg)... Junior P Tyler Bennett is second in the WAC and seventh in the FBS in punting at 47.0 ypp... Sophomore PK Josh Thompson is tied for fourth in the league and tied for 78th in the nation in field goals (.8 pg), while ranking second in the conference and tied for 73rd in the country in scoring (7.8 ppg).

RUSHING FOR FIVE -- Utah State scored five rushing TD's in each of its first three games, before being limited to only one in the BYU game, but then scoring four in the Wyoming game, giving the Aggies 20 rushing TD's on the season in five games... That ranks tied for third in the FBS, and USU's 4.0 rushing TD's per game is third in the nation behind Georgia Tech's 4.5 TD's pg and Wisconsin with 4.2 pg:

RED LEADER, RED LEADER -- That title not only is fitting for the Star Wars call sign of the Commander of Red Squadron, but also for the Utah State offense, which leads the WAC and is one of only four teams in the country to score on a perfect 100 percent of its trips to the red zone (22-of-22)... Of the five teams, USU has the most rushing TD's with 15 while the Aggies scored four passing TD's in Saturday's game vs. Wyoming to bring their total of five on the season, the fewest of the four perfect red zone teams.

BURNING THE BARN -- Utah State has been in three games that have been decided by one score or less, losing to Auburn, 42-38, on Sept. 3, losing to Colorado State, 35-34, in 2OT, on Sept. 24 and losing at BYU, 27-24 on Sept. 30... Those three losses by a combined eight points rank second in the nation for teams in one-score games:

BIG BERTHA DRIVING -- Utah State's offense is equipped with a Big Bertha driver in its bag, as the Aggies have four scoring drives of 90+ yards this season, including two of 99-yards, ranking among the national leaders for 90+ yard drives:

MORE POSITIVE PUNT RETURNS -- With 117 punt return yards through five games, USU has already surpassed last year's season total of 72 total punt return yards... The Aggies also have five punt returns of 10 or more yards compared to three all of last year, equalling last season's total in the Weber State game alone, part of nearly matching 2010's season total with 69 punt returns in that game.

LAST ONES TO THE CONFERENCE GAME DANCE -- Utah State is the last WAC team to play a conference game and the Aggies are only one of six teams in Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) yet to play a conference game, ironically four of the others face off Saturday, as Wyoming meets UNLV in both teams' Mountain West Conference openers, while Cincinnati and Louisville square off in each others' Big East openers

Team Conf Conference Opener
Utah State WAC Saturday at Fresno State
Boise State Mountain West Saturday at Colorado State
UNLV Mountain West Saturday at Wyoming
Wyoming Mountain West Saturday vs. UNLV
Cincinnati Big East Saturday vs. Louisville
Louisville Big East Saturday at Cincinnati

USU IN CONFERENCE OPENERS -- After starting conference plays with a win in four-straight seasons, Utah State has lost five of its last six league lid-lifters... USU broke a three-game losing skid in conference openers by winning the 2008 WAC opener, part of USU's 1-5 record in WAC openers... Utah State is starting league action on the road for the second time in three years and the third time in the seven years in the WAC, after starting at home in four of the last five seasons... It is just the sixth time in the last 20 years that USU is beginning conference play on the road, also doing so in 1993, 1996, 2000, 2005, 2009 and 2011... The Aggies are 3-2 in those five road conference openers, dropping their last two after winning the previous three... Here's a closer look at USU's last 20 overall conference openers, in which USU is 11-9:

AGGIES VS. BULLDOGS IN CONFERENCE OPENERS -- After not playing each other in a conference opener for over 30 years, this is the second year in row that USU has opened WAC action against Fresno State...The Aggies and Bulldogs were also in the Big West Conference together from 1978-93, but in their 15 years as conference foes, USU only opened Big West play against Fresno State in 1978, winning 45-22... However, the Bulldogs were the second game on USU's Big West slate five times, in 1982 (L, 6-31), 1983 (W, 20-12), 1989 (L, 7-34), 1990 (T 24-24) and 1993 (L 14-30).

UTAH STATE-FRESNO STATE SERIES -- Fresno State has won four in a row and seven of the last eight meetings with Utah State as USU's 13-12 win in 2006 snapped a three-game losing skid to Fresno State and the Bulldogs lead the all-time series by a 15-10-1 count... Prior to the 2006 win, FS had claimed the previous three meetings since Utah State posted a 20-19 win against then 25th-ranked Fresno State in 1991... That victory is USU's only win against an AP ranked team in school history... After meeting four straight seasons from 1952-55, the teams played every year from 1978-91 and 1993 when both programs were members of the Big West Conference... The teams met in a non-conference game in 2001, before first meeting in 2005 as members of the WAC... The 2001 meeting was scheduled for Sept. 15, but the 9-11 tragedy happened on the Tuesday of that week so the Bulldogs and Aggies agreed to postpone the game until Dec. 1, where FS won 70-21, USU's 15th-largest losing margin (49 points) in school history... Before last season's 41-24 Fresno State win, the previous four meetings had been by a total of 18 points, with USU's 13-12 win in 2006, FS's 38-27 win in 2007, the Bulldogs' 30-28 last-second victory in 2008 and Fresno State's come-from-behind 31-27 win in 2009... The Aggies are 2-11-1 vs. the Bulldogs at Fresno, losing the last five meetings since a 24-all tie in 1990... USU's last win at Fresno was in 1980, going 0-9-1 since.

WHAT HAPPENED IN 1980? -- Besides USU's last win in Fresno in 1980, here's a look at some of the other happenings and tidbits of 1980:

-- None of the players involved in Saturday's game were born yet.
-- Cost of a gallon of Gas $1.19
-- The United States Olympic Hockey Team defeats the Soviet Union in the semifinals of the Winter Olympics, in the Miracle on Ice.
-- United States boycotts the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow.
-- Mount St. Helens erupts in Washington, killing 57.
-- John Lennon was killed.
-- Some music from 1980: Call Me - Blondie, Another Brick In The Wall - Pink Floyd, Do That To Me One More Time - Captain & Tennille, Fame - Irene Cara, Please Don't Go - KC & the Sunshine Band, Rapper's Delight - Sugar Hill Gang, Whip It - Devo, Escape (The Piña Colada Song) - Rupert Holmes, It's Still Rock n' Roll To Me - Billy Joel, Another One Bites the Dust - Queen
-- Some popular TV shows: Dallas, Magnum P.I.
-- Popular movies: The Blues Brothers, Caddyshack, The Shining, The Empire Strikes Back, 9 to 5, Airplane, Coal Miner's Daughter.
-- The Pittsburgh Steelers become the first NFL franchise to win 4 Super Bowls, defeating the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl XIV 31-19 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.
-- The Philadelphia Phillies win their first World Series beating the Kansas City Royals 4-1 in game six. .
-- New York Islanders win the Stanley Cup.
-- Genuine Risk wins the Kentucky Derby with a time of 2:02.00.
-- St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols was born.
-- Louisville beats UCLA, 59-54, to win NCAA Men's Basketball title
-- Georgia named NCAA football national champions.

USU IN CALIFORNIA -- Utah State is 19-36-1 (.348) in games played on California soil... The Aggies' win at San Jose State last season was USU's first win in the Golden State since 1992, snapping a 10-game losing streak on California soil... Prior to that, USU's, last win in the Golden State was in 1992, when USU won both of its games in California, a 26-7 win on Oct. 31, 1992 against Cal State Fullerton, who was so depressed by the loss that the Titans discontinued football following that season, and then a 38-35 win on Nov. 21, 1992 against Pacific, in which USU won on a field goal with 18 seconds left.

USU IN OCTOBER / ON OCT. 15 -- Utah State has won its first game in October in each of the last two seasons, but USU has lost three of its last five games and seven of its last 10 games in October, as part of the Aggies losing 25 of their last 33 games in the Canadian Thanksgiving month (which was on Monday, Oct. 10)... After having five games in October in 2009 and four in 2010, USU has only three games in the 10th month for the second time in last five years, last doing so in 2007... This is the 24th time since 1912 that the Aggies have had three games in October (2007, 2006, 2002, 2001, 1994, 1991, 1989, 1974, 1972, 1969, 1967, 1951, 1945, 1944, 1941, 1940, 1939, 1933, 1929, 1925, 1924, 1919, 1912).

Saturday is USU's first game on Oct. 15 since 2005, losing, 53-21 at Fresno State... The Aggies are 6-7-1 on Oct. 15 since 1921, winning two of last four on the 15th day of the 10th month... USU has lost two of its last three road games on Oct. 15, and is 2-6-1 on the road on the date... Here's a closer look at how USU has fared on Oct. 15:

AGGIES AND BULLDOGS BATTLING IN OCTOBER -- USU and Fresno State have met 16 times in October... Saturday is third time that the Aggie and Bulldogs have battled on Oct. 15... USU is 5-10-1 against Fresno State in October, losing the last two in a row, three of the last four and seven of the last nine... The Aggies are 1-7-1 against the Bulldogs in Fresno in October:

USU BESTS VS. FRESNO STATE -- Here is a look at some of the top USU statistical individual performances against the Bulldogs over the years: Rick Parros had the fifth-highest single-game rushing outing in USU history with 252 yards against Fresno State in 1978... In 1980, Marvin Jackson had an 88-yard rush, tied for the fourth-longest rushing play in school history... Richard Gwynn holds the 10th-longest rush mark with an 80-yard run against FS in 1984... Jack Hill had a 90-yard kick return against Fresno State in 1955, tied for the 12th-longest kick return... Utah State's 70-21 loss at Fresno State in 2001 is the 15th-largest losing margin (49 points)... In addition to the 252 outing Parros had another one of his 14 career 100-yard rushing outings with 168 yards against Fresno State in 1979... Gwynn had the first of two career 100-yard games with 144 yards in 1984... Roger Grant logged one of his 11 100-yard games with 197 yards in 1990... In 1993, James Dye recorded his only 100-yard outing with 112 yards against FS... David Fiefia had the first of four 100-yard games with 116 yards in the Fresno State game in 2001... Brett Stevens had his only 300-yard passing game with 326 yards against the Bulldogs in 1984... The next year, Brent Snyder had the first of his school-record 10 300-yard outings with 335 yards against FS... In 1978, Jimmy Bryant had 125 receiving yards against the Bulldogs... Kendal Smith had 142 receiving yards against Fresno State in 1987, the single-game receiving mark for a USU freshman and the first of the 15 century-yard receiving games he would have, adding another one in 1988 with 101 against the Bulldogs... Kevin Curtis tallied one of his school-record 16 100-yard receiving games with 110 against Fresno State in 2001... Diondre Borel had a career-best 105 rushing yards at Fresno State last season, is his lone 100-yard rushing outing of his career and was 16 yards shy of USU's single-game rushing mark by a QB.

EACH OTHER'S LAST TIME LIST -- On Utah State's "Last Time" list, Fresno State is referenced three times: the last Aggie QB with 100-yards rushing was Diondre Borel with 105 yards at Fresno State in 2009; the last time that USU had two players with 100-yards rushing was that same game at Fresno State, as Borel was joined by Robert Turbin's 142 yards; USU's last 50-yard field goal was against Fresno State last season by Peter Caldwell with a 50-yard boot... Utah State is referenced four times on Fresno State's "Last Time" list: the Bulldogs' team record for most pass completions in a game is 40 against USU in 1987; the last time a Fresno State QB had six TD passes was David Carr, the older brother of the Bulldogs' current signal-caller, vs. USU in 2001; the last Bulldog to block a field goal was Kenny Wiggins against the Aggies last season; Fresno State's last field goal of over 55 yards was Kevin Goessling's game-winning 58-yarder against USU in 2008.

AGGIE-BULLDOG NOTE-ABLE -- Utah State has 21 players from the state of California, the second-most from any state, behind the 43 from Utah... Both USU head coach Gary Andersen and Fresno State head coach Pat Hill have strong ties to former Utah and current Weber State head coach Ron McBride, as Andersen played under McBride at Utah in 1985-86 when Andersen was a center and McBride was offensive line coach for the Utes, Andersen also served as an assistant under McBride from 1997-2002... Hill played under McBride at UC Riverside, when McBride was an assistant coach, and McBride helped steer Hill into a football coaching career... Fresno State freshman RB Dillon Root is a native of Visalia, Calif., the same hometown as USU Senior Assoc. Athletic Director Jana Doggett and former USU Academic Advisor/ Life Skills Coord. Amy Crosbie, wife of former USU QB and former USU Asst. AD/Business Manager Jeff Crosbie

CURRENT AGGIE COACHES VS. FRESNO STATE -- Four members of Utah State's coaching staff have faced Fresno State, either as a coach or a player or both, as is the case for USU quarterbacks coach Matt Wells, who coached against Fresno State as an assistant at Tulsa and played against the Bulldogs during his playing days as an Aggie QB... Overall, those four members were a combined 6-8 vs. Fresno State in their other positions.

UTAH STATE-FRESNO STATE BY THE NUMB3R5 -- A closer look at notables about Saturday's match-up between the Aggies and the Bulldogs:

0 Players from the state of Utah on Fresno State's roster.
0 Players on either team who were born last time USU won at Fresno in 1980.
00 Number of seconds on clock when FS's Kevin Goessling booted a 58-yard
field goal to beat USU 30-28 in 2008.
1 Tie in the series, a 24-all draw in 1990.
1 Wins by the Aggies over a top 25 team, a 20-19 win over then No. 25 Fresno
State in 1991.
2 Lombardi and Butkus Award Watch List players on the field Saturday, as
Aggie senior LB Bobby Wagner and Bulldog senior DL Logan Harrell are both
on the watch lists for both awards.
2 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award candidates on the field Saturday, as USU senior
LB Bobby Wagner and FS senior PK Kevin Goessling are both recognized for
being quality student-athletes who excel both on and off the field.
2 Different conferences that Utah State and Fresno State have been in
together (Big West 1988-1991, WAC, 2005-present).
2 Head coaches involved in Saturday's game who played and coached under
Ron McBride, as USU head coach Gary Andersen and Fresno State head
coach Pat Hill have strong ties to former Utah and current Weber State head
coach McBride, as Andersen played under McBride at Utah in 1985-86 when
Andersen was a center and McBride was offensive line coach for the Utes,
Andersen also served as an assistant under McBride from 1997-2002... Hill
played under McBride at UC Riverside, when McBride was an assistant coach,
and McBride helped steer Hill into a football coaching career.
2 Top 20 rushing leaders in FBS on the field Saturday, as USU junior RB Robert
Turbin is No. 10 at 119.8 ypg while FS junior RB Robbie Rouse is No. 18 at 112.0 ypg.
2 Previous times that Utah State and Fresno State have played each other on
Oct. 15, both coming in Fresno, with the Bulldogs winning both.
2 Previous times that Fresno State has been Utah State's conference opening
opponent, as Saturday is the second-straight season and third overall, joining
1978 when the two teams were Big West Conference foes.
3 Times that USU head coach Gary Andersen faced Fresno State while an
assistant at Utah, going 2-1 (1997-L, 27-13; 1998-W, 24-16; 1999-W, 17-16).
4 Wins in a row by Fresno State in the series.
10 Overall wins by Utah State in the series.
15 Overall wins by Fresno State in the series.
16 Number of times that USU and FS have faced off against each other in
October, with the Bulldogs holding a 10-5-1 mark.
19 USU wins on California soil.
21 Players from the state of California on Utah State's roster.
52 Number of wins by USU over a school from California.
58 Yards of FS's Kevin Goessling's field goal as time expired to beat USU, 30-28
in 2008 at Logan.
110 Receiving yards by Aggie Kevin Curtis vs. Fresno State in 2001.
142 Receiving yards by USU's Kendal Smith vs. FS in 1987, the single-game
receiving mark for a USU freshman and the first of Smith's 15 century-yard
receiving games, adding another one in 1988 with 101 against the Bulldogs.
900 Miles from USU's Romney Stadium to FS's Bulldog Stadium.
1980 Year of Utah State's last win over Fresno State at Fresno.

LOGAN, Utah - Fresno State scored 24 unanswered points to overtake and pull away from Utah State, 41-24, on Sept. 18 in a hard-fought battle that was the Western Athletic Conference opener for both teams at Merlin Olsen Field at Romney Stadium. USU slides to 1-2 overall and 0-1 in WAC play, while Fresno State moves to 2-0 overall and 1-0 in league action. It was Fresno State's fourth-straight win in the series, and the Bulldogs now lead 15-10-1 overall. Senior quarterback Diondre Borel led USU with 106 yards passing with one TD pass and 66 rushing yards and another score, part of the Aggies' 205 yards rushing, finishing the night with 311 yards of total offense. Fresno State totalled 379 yards of total offense, with 230 on the ground and 149 passing by Ryan Colburn on 15-of-23 with one TD. Colburn had one interception on the night, as senior cornerback Chris Randle deflected Colburn's pass and junior defensive end Quinn Garner collected it for his first career interception. Junior linebacker Bobby Wagner logged a career-high 17 tackles, his second-straight double-digit tackle outing, including one tackle for loss, adding one fumble recovery, one pass break-up and one QB hurry. Fellow junior linebacker Kyle Gallagher added nine stops with one TFL. Borel hit sophomore wide receiver Dontel Watkins for an 8-yard TD toss, part of Watkins' four catches for 52 yards. That gave USU a 7-0 lead at the 6:30 mark of the opening quarter. After a 26-yard Kevin Goessling field goal pulled Fresno State within 7-3, before USU senior placekicker Peter Caldwell drilled a career-long 50-yard upright split. Colburn hit A.J. Ellis on a 10-yard pass to knot the score at 10-all, but USU countered with a nine-play drive that the Aggies had eight rushes on, capping it with a 3-yard scoring run by senior running back Michael Smith to go ahead 17-10. Fresno State tied it at 17-17 with 38 seconds left in the half on an 8-yard run by Colburn, sending the teams into halftime tied. Borel scored on a 10-yard scamper to give USU a 24-17 lead with 6:09 on the third quarter clock. Fresno State then reeled off 24-straight points, starting with a 16-yard run by A.J. Ellis. Goessling hit a 30-yard field goal, then Tracy Slocum scored from 3-yards out with 10:39 left in the fourth quarter. USU couldn't get any closer and FS added a 2-yard score by Ellis with 42 seconds remaining to seal the win.

FRESNO, Calif. - For the fourth game in a row, Utah State's final score was a difference of four points after the Aggies were edged 31-27 by Fresno State on Halloween, Oct. 31, at a sunny Bulldog Stadium. Junior QB Diondre Borel became the first Aggie signal-caller to rush for 100 yards since 2005 with a career-best 105 and a TD while throwing for 240 yards and another TD on 20-of-31 passing. It was the fourth time this season that Borel ran and threw for a TD in the same game. Sophomore RB Robert Turbin rushed for 138 yards and a TD, as he and Borel became the second Aggie duo this season to both run for 100 yards. Borel completed a pass to a season-high nine different receivers, led by senior WR Xavier Bowman's career-best seven catches for 65 yards and a TD while junior WR Eric Moats had 59 yards on four catches. The Aggies had 503 yards of total offense, while the Bulldogs had 466. Fresno State RB Ryan Mathews, the nation's leading rusher amassed 185 yards with two TD's. Ryan Colburn was 17-of-27 passing for 256 yards and a TD. Colburn was picked off once by the Aggies, as USU junior CB Rajric Coleman snared the oskie late in the second quarter, setting up senior K Chris Ulinski's 23-yard field goal as time expired in the first half to send USU into the locker room with a 27-17 halftime lead. However, Fresno State stormed back with 14 second half points while the Aggies didn't score. USU got on the board first with a 26-yard Ulinski field goal on the Aggies opening possession of the game, a drive that included 43 and 16-yard rushes by Turbin. Fresno State countered with a fast scoring drive of its own, capped by a 9-yard run by Mathews. The Aggies bounced back on their next drive, started by a 54-yard pass play from Borel to sophomore WR Stanley Morrison and finished by a 5-yard TD toss from Borel to Bowman for a 10-7 USU lead. That advantage would be short-lived as the Bulldogs bounced back and Seyi Ajirotutu snagged an 18-yard pass from Colburn for a 14-10 FS lead. The Bulldogs took a 17-10 lead with a 50-yard field goal from Fresno State's Kevin Goessling, the same Bulldog kicker who booted a 58-yarder as time expired to beat Utah State 30-28 last season. A 1-yard Turbin plunge knotted the score at 17-all, and Fresno State's A.J. Jefferson fumbled while returning the ensuing kickoff and Aggie junior LB Maxim Dinka Mba recovered, setting up USU at the FS 40-yard line. Seven plays later, Borel darted in from a yard out. Coleman logged his second INT of the season to end Fresno State's ensuing drive, setting up Ulinski's field goal to end the first half. A 2-yard scoring rush from FS's Lonyae Miller at the 8:10 mark of the third quarter pulled the Bulldogs within 27-24 and Mathews put Fresno State ahead with a 10-yard scoring dash with 4:53 to play in the fourth quarter. USU went three-and-out on its ensuing drive, and the Bulldogs ran out the clock.

TURBIN IS EIGHTH AGGIE TO 2,000 FOR CAREER -- Junior RB Robert Turbin became the 20th player in Utah State history to reach the 1,000 career rushing yards milestone in 2009 and just the eighth player in Aggie history to reach the 2,000 mark... Turbin hit the 2K mark as part of his 180-yard performance against Weber State on Sept. 10... Turbin is currently No. 6 on USU's all-time rushing list with 2,397 yards, passing Roger Grant (1990-91) with 2,387 yards... Turbin is 394 yards behind Emmett White (1998-2001) with 2,791 yards for No. 5.

TOUCHDOWN TIME FOR TURBIN -- Turbin is also climbing USU's career rushing TD list, as he now has 31 career TD's after his rushing score in the BYU game broke a tie with Tom Larscheid (1959-61) with 29 career TD's for sole possession of the No. 3 spot... Turbin needs six more for the No. 2 spot held by Demario Brown (1996-99) with 37 rushing TD's... A closer look at Turbin's career TD climb:

OTHER TURBIN MARKS IN TOP 10 CAREER LIST -- With 12 points scored Saturday vs. Wyoming, Turbin now has 242 points, moving up to No. 3 on the Aggies' Career Points Scored list, closing in on the No. 3 spot by Abu Wilson (1992, 94-96) with 246 points while Tom Larscheid (1959-61) holds the No. 2 spot with 248 points... Turbin is also moving up USU's career rushing attempts and career rushing average lists:

TURBIN CLIMBING WAC'S CAREER LISTS -- In addition to moving up on USU's career lists, Turbin is also ascending the WAC's career points scored and rushing TD's lists, while closing in on the conference's career rushing list:

WAGNER WAC PRESEASON DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF YEAR, MULTI-PRESEASON WATCH LIST MEMBER -- The media of the Western Athletic Conference voted on preseason players of the year, selecting USU senior linebacker Bobby Wagner as the Defensive Player of the Year, while Hawai`i senior quarterback Bryant Moniz was voted the Offensive Player of the Year.

Wagner is the first USU player to earn a preseason WAC honor since the Aggies joined the league in 2005. It is Utah State's first conference preseason honor since 2004 when Ronald Tupea and Robert Watts were named to the Sun Belt preseason first-team all-conference team. The WAC does not have a preseason all-conference team.

Wagner is also on several preseason all-WAC teams as well as several award watch lists, including:
Butkus Award - nation's top linebacker
Rotary Lombardi Award - nation's top college lineman
Bronko Nagurski Award - nation's best defensive player

Wagner, a native of Ontario, Calif. (Colony HS) is a two-time first-team all-WAC honoree... Last season, he led the WAC and ranked tied for seventh in FBS with 11.1 tackles per game, ranking second in the WAC with 133 total tackles in 2010 season... In 2010, Wagner also tallied a WAC-best four 15+ tackle outings, including two 17-stop games, a 16-tackle game and a 15-tackle outing... On the season, he logged a total of seven double-digit tackle games, and had at least six stops in all 12 games... Additionally, Wagner added eight tackles for loss with half a sack, as well as four pass breakups and one forced fumble.

WAGNER WRANGLING WAY UP USU AND WAC TACKLE LIST -- Senior LB Bobby Wagner has 348 career tackles, becoming the 14th player in USU history with 300 stops and the first since former teammate Jake Hutton (328 career tackles, 2005-08)... He recently passed Hutton and now holds the No. 7 spot, needing 11 to catch Pat McKenna (1979-82) for the No. 6 spot with 372 stops... Wagner broke into the WAC's top 10 Career Tackles list, and now holds the No. 9 spot.... Wagner needs 11 for the No. 6 spot on USU's list and four more for the No. 8 mark and seven more for the No. 7 spot on the WAC's list.

WILLIAMS NEW USU AND WAC KICK RETURN RECORD HOLDER -- Kick returner/running back Kerwynn Williams became the USU and WAC single-season kick return total yardage record holder, finishing the 2010 season with 1,444 yards, breaking the week-old WAC record of 1,410 by New Mexico State's Taveon Rogers... The previous record was 1,214 yards by Deonce Whitaker of San Jose State in 1998 before both Rogers and Williams broke it.

Williams also broke the WAC's Career Kick Return Yards record in the BYU game on Sept. 30, passing Cedric Johnson of UTEP's record of 2,782 yards from 1993-96.

Williams had 53 kick returns last season, also breaking the WAC and NCAA (FBS) records also set by Rogers last season of 51.

Now with 2,621 career kick return yards, Williams is closing in on the conference record in career kick return yards of Cedric Johnson of UTEP's record of 2,782 yards from 1993-96.

Williams is currently USU's career record holder for kick return average, as well as moving up on USU's single-game kick return average list and the career all-purpose yardage list... Williams joined Kevin Robinson as the only Aggie kick returners to surpass the 1,000-kick return yardage milestone and Williams has now topped the 1k mark twice.

AGGIES' KEETON NAMED WAC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK, NATIONAL RECOGNITION -- Utah State football quarterback Chuckie Keeton has been named the Verizon Western Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week for his school-record tying performance in USU's 63-19 win over Wyoming Saturday.

Keeton has been recognized with a pair of national honors. Keeton was acknowledged by collegefootballperformance.com as an honorable mention national Quarterback of the Week, while also being named by College Sports Madness as the Western Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week for his school-record tying performance in USU's 63-19 win over Wyoming Saturday.

In addition to the WAC award, Keeton was also named the Utah State America First Credit Union Student-Athlete of the Week for the period ending Sunday, Oct. 9, an award that is voted on by a state-wide media panel.

Keeton, a freshman from Houston, Texas (Cypress Creek HS), completed 16-of-21 passes for 228 yards and a school-record tying five touchdowns in Utah State's 63-19 win against Wyoming. He also added 44 rushing yards on four carries. All five touchdown passes came in the first half as Utah State scored on its first eight possessions of the game.

With the five TD's, Keeton becomes the fourth different Aggie QB to hit the school record, and the sixth time, as Keeton is the first since Anthony Calvillo threw for five scores against BYU in 1993. Calvillo (1993 and 1992) and Tony Adams (1972) had accomplished the feat twice each while Brent Snyder reached it once (1987).

Keeton's five TD's Saturday more than doubled his season-total of four entering Saturday's game. Behind Keeton, the Aggie offense scored on its first eight possessions of the game, on the way to 42 first-half points, the most in an opening half since at least 1991, as part of the 63 total points. The 63 points scored are its most since winning at Idaho, 63-17, on Oct. 25, 1997, while its 44-point margin of victory is its largest since defeating New Mexico State at home, 47-2, on Nov. 29, 2008.

WILLIAMS COLLECTS PAUL HORNUNG AWARD WEEKLY HONOR ROLL ACCOLADE -- Utah State junior football player Kerwynn Williams is one of three players named to the Paul Hornung Award Weekly Honor Roll on Oct. 10. The weekly recognition honors versatile, single-game performances around the nation by FBS student-athletes, and Williams is joined by Eric Page of Toledo and David Wilson of Virginia Tech.

The Paul Hornung Award, presented by Texas Roadhouse, is awarded annually to the most versatile player in major college football. Fans can now vote online at www.votepaulhornung.com for the finalist for the 2011 award.

All three weekly honorees are members of the Paul Hornung Award Watch List. Page is being honored for the fourth time this season while Williams and Wilson each earned their first Hornung weekly recognition of the year.

Williams, a native of Las Vegas, Nev. (Valley HS), had a season-high 232 all-purpose yards in Utah State's 63-19 win over Wyoming on Saturday, totalling 125 kick return yards, including a season-best 54-yard return that set up USU's first TD of the night. Williams also had a 22-yard punt return to set up the Aggies' sixth TD of the first half, as well as adding 55 rushing yards and 30 receiving yards.

USU'S TURBIN TABBED HONORABLE MENTION NATIONAL RUNNING BACK OF WEEK BY COLLEGEFOOTBALLPERFORMANCE.COM -- Utah State football player Robert Turbin was recognized by collegefootballperformance.com as honorable mention Running Back of the Week on Oct. 2.

Turbin, a junior from Fremont, Calif. (Irvington HS), rushed for 123 yards including an 80-yard touchdown burst on the first offensive play of the game, in USU's 27-24 loss at BYU on Friday night. He added two catches for 22-yards on the night, including a 24-yard TD reception. Turbin now has at least two TD's in all four of USU's games this season, and has at least one rushing TD in last nine games played. Friday was Turbin's third-straight 100-yard game and 11th of his career, one of 14 active players in FBS with at least 10 career 100-yard games.

Turbin's 80-yard first-quarter TD was his fourth-career TD run over 50+ yards and the second-longest of his career behind the 96-yarder at Utah in 2009. Turbin now has 30 career rushing TD's, taking over sole possession of the No. 3 spot on USU's Career Rushing list, breaking a tie with Tom Larscheid (1959-61) and are the most by an Aggie since Demario Brown (1996-99) had 37. Turbin also passed Lascheid's 2,206 career rushing yards, and now has 2,285 with his 123 yards Friday.

This is the third national honorable mention award by collegefootballperformance.com for Turbin this season, also earning it after the Weber State and Colorado State games.

AGGIES' TURBIN AND KOSKAN RECOGNIZED BY COLLEGEFOOTBALLPERFORMANCE.COM -- Utah State football players Robert Turbin and Levi Koskan were recognized by collegefootballperformance.com with honorable mention awards for their respective positions for their performances in USU's heartbreaking, 36-35 double overtime Homecoming loss to Colorado State on Sept. 24. Turbin was tabbed to the honorable mention Running Back of the Week list while Koskan collected honorable mention Defensive End of the Week accolades.

Turbin, a junior from Fremont, Calif. (Irvington HS), rushed for a career-high four TD's as part of his 115 yard rushing outing. Turbin scored on a 3-yard scamper in the third-quarter, then a 1-yard plunge in the fourth-quarter with 4:56 left in regulation to give USU a 21-13 lead. After CSU forced overtime, Turbin scored on the Aggies' possession in the first frame on a 9-yard scamper. The Rams scored to force a second extra sessions and opened the scoring in the second frame with a TD and PAT. Turbin darted in from 25-yards out on USU's second possession, but was stopped on the two-point conversion, denying USU the win.

It was Turbin's 10th career 100-yard rushing outing, as he is one of 13 active players in Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) with double-digit career 100-yard games.

Koskan a senior from Smithfield, Utah (Sky View HS), posted three tackles for loss including two sacks Saturday night, finishing night with five total tackles. His three TFL's were for 29 yards, with 14 of those coming on his two sacks.

USU'S BENNETT AND TURBIN HONORED BY COLLEGEFOOTBALLPERFORMANCE.COM -- Utah State football players Tyler Bennett and Robert Turbin were honored by collegefootballperformance.com with weekly awards for their performances in USU's 54-17 romp of Weber State on Sept. 10. Bennett was named the Co-National Punter of the Week while Turbin was tabbed to the honorable mention Running Back of the Week list.

Bennett, a junior from Phoenix, Ariz. (North Canyon HS/Phoenix CC), punted three times for a 54.3 yards per punt with all three punts pinning Weber State inside its own 20-yard line, including two inside the Wildcats' 10 in the first quarter. Bennett's first punt was a 62-yarder that was downed at the WSU 4-yard line, while his second punt was a 52-yarder that went out of bounds at the Wildcats' 7. In the fourth quarter, Bennett hit a 49-yarder that went out of bounds at WSU's 12-yard line.

Turbin, a junior from Fremont, Calif. (Irvington HS), rushed for 180 yards on 18 carries (10.0 ypr), with two TD's Saturday night, and surpassed the 2,000 career yard mark along the way, becoming just the eighth USU running back to reach the 2,000-yard plateau. Turbin scored on a 14-yard run with 53 seconds left in the second quarter to pull USU to 17-17 at the half, the first of the Aggies' 44 unanswered points as the rallied from being down 17-10. At the 8:04 mark of the third quarter, Turbin tiptoed down the sideline and dove inside the pylon to the endzone to cap off a 31-yard scamper that put USU ahead, 30-17.

USU'S KEETON NAMED RIVALS.COM NATIONAL FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK -- Utah State football player Chuckie Keeton has been named the Rivals.com National Freshman of the Week for his performance in the season-opener at Auburn on Sept. 3.

Keeton, a native of Houston, Texas (Cypress Creek HS), was 21-of-30 passing for 213 yards and added two rushing TD's as part of 33 rushing yards in his Aggie debut in USU's hard-fought 42-38 loss at defending national champion No. 23/19 Auburn Saturday. Keeton is believed to be the first Aggie freshman to start a USU season-opener in at least the modern era. Keeton is also the first Aggie freshman to start a game at QB since Riley Nelson in 2006.

"Chuckie is a special player," USU head coach Gary Andersen said in his post-game interview. "I promise you no one is hurt more, even though he has been with us for a short period of time. We are in very good hands at the quarterback position. ... I love Chuckie Keeton. I have loved Chuckie Keeton since I walked into his living room."

AGGIE NOTES FROM LAST GAME
vs. Wyoming - Oct. 8 --

-- Freshman QB Chuckie Keeton tied a school record with five TD passes, becoming the fourth different Aggie QB to hit the school record, and the sixth time, and the first since Anthony Calvillo threw for five scores against BYU in 1993... Calvillo and Tony Adams had accomplished the feat twice each while Brent Snyder reached it once.

-- Keeton's five TD's Saturday more than doubled his season TD pass total of four.

-- USU's win was first over Wyoming since 1978, and first win at home in series since 1977.

-- The Aggies' 63 points Saturday were the most since winning at Idaho, 63-17, on Oct. 25, 1997, while its 44-point margin of victory is its largest since defeating New Mexico State at home, 47-2, on Nov. 29, 2008.

-- USU scored on its first eight possessions of the game Saturday, not punting until the third quarter.

-- USU's 42 points in first half was most points scored by Aggies in a first half since at least 1991 according to available records and ties the 42 points in second half at Nevada last season.

-- Junior RB Robert Turbin's 1-yard first-quarter run was his 31st career rushing TD, as he has a solid hold of the No. 3 spot on USU's Career Rushing TD's list, closing in on the No. 2 spot of 37 TD's by Demario Brown (1996-99).

-- The 31 rushing TD's moves Turbin into a tie for No. 20 on the WAC's Career Rushing TD list.

-- Turbin now has at least one rushing TD in last 10 games played.

-- Turbin's 111 yards was his fourth-straight 100-yard outing and 12th of his career... He now has 2,397 yards for his career, moving up to No. 6 on USU's Career Rushing list, passing Roger Grant (1990-91) who had 2,387... Emmett White (1998-2001) holds the No. 5 spot with 2,791 yards.

-- With two total TD's for 12 points Saturday, Turbin now has 242 career points, moving to No. 4 on USU's Career Points Scored list, passing Demario Brown (1996-99) who had 234 points... Abu Wilson (1992, 94-96) holds the No. 3 spot with 246 career points.

-- The 242 points ties Turbin for No. 33 on the WAC's Career Points Scored list.

-- Senior RB Michael Smith's 53-yard TD pass was his longest of the season and longest since 2009 with a 54-yarder in the Southern Uutah game on Sept. 26, 2009... It was Smith's first TD catch of the season and third of his career... Smith's three total TD's were the most since Turbin had five total scores in the Idaho game in 2009.

-- Junior RB Kerwynn Williams' 50-yard kick return was a season-long and longest since an 84-yarder in the New Mexico State game last season.

-- The 3-play, 99-yard drive covering the first and second quarter was USU's second 99-yard drive of the season, also doing do with a 7-play, 99-yard drive in the Weber State game... The Aggies now have four drives of at least 90 yards, as the other three all occurred in the Weber State game.

-- It was Turbin's second receiving TD of the season, and the ninth TD of his career.

-- Turbin now has two-straight games with at least one rushing and one receiving TD, and the sixth time in his career.

-- The 19-yard TD pass from Keeton to sophomore TE D.J. Tialavea in the second quarter was Tialavea's first career TD catch and the first TD catch by a TE this season, only to add the second with senior TE Tarren Lloyd's second-quarter TD catch that was his first of the season and third of his career.

-- Senior WR Stanley Morrison's third-quarter catch gives him at least one reception in 29-straight games, which leads the WAC.

-- Morrison's 8-yard TD catch was the first of the season and first since 2009 after missing 2010 with an injury, and fourth of his career.

-- With 12 tackles Saturday, senior LB Bobby Wagner's now has double-digit tackles in five-straight games and 19th time in his career... Wagner moved into sixth-place all-time at USU and sixth-place all-time in the WAC with 360 stops... Wagner added his third career interception late in the second quarter.

-- Wagner started for the 32nd-straight game, as well as his 37th career start overall, leading USU in both departments.

-- Senior OL Philip Gapelu made his 28th-consecutive start and 33rd of his career, ranking second in both areas.

-- Junior RB Robert Turbin started for the 28th time of his career, but fifth since the 2009 season-finale after missing the entire 2010 season with an injury.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH -- There are nine Division I schools that are located in cities with an elevation of at least 4,000 feet about sea level... Utah State's home of Logan ranks seventh on the list with an elevation of 4,710 feet... USU is the highest non-Mountain West Conference school, as the top six are all MWC teams... This season the Aggies will play at only one other location on the list, giving USU seven games this season at 4,000 feet above sea level after playing eight in 2006, seven both 2007 and 2008, eight in 2009 and seven last year... USU will play at #7 on the list, BYU (Sept. 30), but will host both No. 1 on the list, Wyoming (Sept. 8), and #4 Colorado State (Sept. 24).

NEW D SCHEME -- Utah State's defense is changing from a 4-3 alignment to a 3-4 alignment.

WHISTLE SHUFFLE -- USU head coach Gary Andersen shuffled his coaching staff around and had some changes on his staff... Andersen will handle defensive coordinator duties, while Bill Busch will be the associate head coach/special teams coordinator and defensive backs coach... Offensive coordinator Dave Baldwin will shift to tight ends this season after coaching quarterbacks last year... Former Aggie player Matt Wells joined the USU staff in January and will be the quarterbacks coach... T.J. Woods is shifting from tight ends coach to offensive line coach, replacing Alex Gerke, who left the staff... Former Aggie player Frank Maile will be the defensive line coach, moving up from defensive graduate assistant to replace Chad Kauha'aha'a, who joined the Utah staff... Kendrick Shaver joined the USU staff in February and will be the Aggies' cornerbacks coach, replacing Corey Raymond who left for Indiana and later Nebraska... A pair of former University of Utah players Robert Conley and Spencer Toone were added to the staff as graduate assistants... Conley, a four-year starting offensive lineman, will be the offensive graduate assistant while Toone, a two-time all-Mountain West Conference selection and a two-year NFL player, will be the defensive graduate assistant.

A three-time all-state selection at Alta HS, helping the Hawks to a 13-1 record and the Utah Class 5A state title his senior season... Posted 106 tackles with seven sacks his senior season... Also a two-year starter on the AHS baseball team, driving in 40 RBI as a senior, and a one-year starter in basketball, earning all-state honors his senior season, combining for five total letters in the two sports... A Utah Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete honoree as a senior... Also an academic all-state honoree in baseball and basketball... Son of Daniel and Pamela Court... Has four sisters and one brother... Served LDS Church Mission to Anaheim, Calif. from May 2009-11... Chose USU because of football program... Intends on majoring in exercise science with future aspirations of being a doctor.

Earned first-team Utah Class 4A all-state honors at East HS as a quarterback by both the Deseret News and the Salt Lake Tribune, as well as first-team all-region... The dual-threat signal-caller rushed for 1,320 yards and 16 touchdowns while tossing for 1,113 yards with 13 scores and only two INT's as a senior, in helping the Leopards finish with an 8-3 overall record and a 4-2 record in Region 6, losing in the 4A quarterfinals... Was also named the Utah Blaze Ironman of the Year... Also a four-year letterwinner and starter for the EHS baseball team playing outfield and pitcher, earning second-team all-state honors by both the Deseret News and the Salt Lake Tribune, helping the Leopards to the state semi-finals his senior season... Also a two-year letterwinner and one-year starter on the basketball team... Son of Kyle and Barbara Curtis... Has three brothers... Chose USU because of academic success and the football program.

Participated in spring drills at Boise State before transferring to Utah State... A first-team all-Greater Oregon League placekicker and second-team punter in senior season at Ontario HS... Also a first-team all-Argus selection as a kicker by the Argus Observer... Was 6-of-12 on field goals with a long of 40 yards, and made 67 PAT's as a senior, and also booted 92 kickoffs with 29 touchbacks... Also punted 12 times with a 38.0 yards per punt average with a long of 62 yards and with two inside the 20... A three-year letterwinner in basketball, earning all-state honors as well as first-team all-league and the league MVP honors, netting 18.0 points and 3.2 assists per game as a senior, helping OHS to the state tournament... Son of Mark and Cori Haueter... Has two brothers and one sister... Served LDS Church Mission to San Antonio, Texas from 2009-11... Intends on majoring in business or pre-med with future plans to own his own company or be a dentist... Chose USU because of campus and community environment, which will allow him to become his best.

Named to the SCFA all-conference team at Orange Coast CC after throwing for 1,992 yards with 17 TD's in nine games played, while also rushing for five scores... Also received Orange Coast CC's Captain Award... Earned all-CIF and Pacific League Offensive Player of the Year honors at Corona del Mar HS after throwing for 2,289 yards on 141 completions with 22 TD's... Set several school records, including most completions in a game (25), most passing yards (2,289), highest completion percentage (59.5) and most total offense yards (2,452)... Son of Joseph and Staci Hughes... Has one sister... Majoring in communication studies at Utah State... Chose USU because of football program.

Led Laney JC with 27 catches for 238 yards with two TD's... Also had six punt returns for 54 yards (9.0 ypr) as well as 13 kick returns for 386 yards (29.7 ypr), leading the Eagles in both kick returns and kick return yardage... Played football at Kennedy HS... Also lettered on the Kennedy basketball team, helping the Eagles to a 27-6 record in senior season... Also lettered in track & field at KHS... Son of Jesse and JoAnn Jacobs... Has seven sisters and five brothers... Chose USU because of coaching staff and the football program.

Played one season at Minnesota State-Moorhead, starting in one game for the Dragons in 2010... Was a two-year starter and four-year letterwinner at West DePere HS, earning first-team all-Bay Conference honors as a senior and second-team all-Area honors... Played both offensive and defensive line, posting 13 sacks in senior season... Helped lead the Phantoms to three Bay Conference titles... Was team captain in senior season... Also a one-year letterwinner in track & field... Son of Andy and Dyan Larmay... Has three younger brothers... Majoring in criminal justice at Utah State with future plans of being a police officer once his football career is over... Chose USU because of football program and felt was best opportunity for him to reach his goals.